By Miles Blumhardt | The Coloradoan
Colorado wildlife officials have killed four wolves in the past three months, including two Sept. 7, and wildlife officers are reported to be attempting to kill another wolf after a rash of livestock depredations spread over multiple counties.
The latest two lethal removals were of two uncollared wolves, one from the Copper Creek pack in Pitkin County and one from the Three Rivers pack in Rio Blanco County, according to a state wildlife agency news release Sept. 8.
Colorado has seen depredations spike, with 21 confirmed depredations in August, 13 in July and 51 this year as of Sept. 6., according to the agency’s depredation page. The previous depredation high was 37 in 2025. Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates the state has a population of around 30 adult wolves plus pups.
Ranchers and ranching organizations have been calling for more lethal removals by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with ranching representatives predicting the depredation situation was “about to blow wide open” in an Aug. 5 Coloradoan story.
But some wolf experts question the effectiveness of the agency’s practice of incrementally killing male yearling wolves in an attempt to curb the predator from killing livestock.
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